vicCroy, formed a fociety in Dublin under his patronage' s 

 but the mines are not defcribed in their effays, nor are there 

 any catalogues of their fofiile productions publifhed. 



Mr. Stewart has been upwards of twenty years engaged 

 exclufively in this purfuit, and has already depofited 13CO 

 different mineral fpecimens in the cabinet of the Dublin So- 

 ciety. But as few of his obfervations have hitherto been laid 

 before the public, the following extract, from his notes 

 may prove acceptable to our readers : 



" I was enabled," fays Mr. Stewart, " by difcovering rich 

 quarries of limeftone and marie, in feveral eftates where they 

 were never before known either to tenant or landlord, to be 

 acceffary to the fertilization of the mod barren lands. In 

 the eftates of Lord Palmerfton and Ormby Jones, Efq. in the 

 county of Sligo, I afforded the greateft pleafure and advan- 

 tage to the poor inhabitants, by demonftrating to them that 

 the great rocks, which they called Serpent Rocks, and which 

 they were gazing at with ftupid or fuperftitious admiration 

 for ages, contained moll excellent lime. Thefe quarries are 

 at their doors ; whereas formerly they carried the fcanty pit- 

 tance of lime they were able to procure from nine or ten 

 miles diftance. Having turf at home in abundance, they are 

 now fupplied with lime at as cheap a rate as any people in 

 Europe. 



'• I obferved to the priefl who accompanied me to the 

 Serpent Rocks, that this muft have been the place to which 

 my countryman (St. Patrick) had collected all the ferpents 

 of the kingdom. The cliffs extend a mile in front, clip to- 

 wards the fea weftward, and run to an indeterminate length 

 into the country. No block can be raifed in thefe cliffs that 

 is not replete with petrifactions; and the fifh appear to lie 

 promifcuoufly as if thrown out of a net. There may be 

 about one-twentieth of the whole rock compoled of thofe 

 petrified fifh or ferpents. The ftrata or beds are very regu- 

 lar, and of different thicknefs. They contain alfo feme large 

 round (hells as yellow as gold j fo that if chimney-pieces 



were 



